CW9176I Installation Guide

Power Source Options

CW9176I can be powered by 802.3bt capable PoE ports. The AP is capable of operating at its full capacity when powered by a single 802.3bt power at full capacity. The AP needs 802.3bt, Class 6 that can supply 60W of power for full operation. The table below indicates the different modes of PoE power input and the expected operation of the AP.

FB - Full Band (UNII-1, 2a, 2c, & 3)

LB - Lower Band (UNII-1 & 2a)

HB - Higher Band (UNII 2c & 3)

CW9176I APs can be powered by the PoE power in different modes as mentioned above when using a PoE-capable switch. CW9176I can also be powered by a single 802.3bt capable PoE injector CW-INJ-8, Cisco Wireless multiGigabit 802.3bt Power over Ethernet Injector. 

Factory Reset Button

If the button is pressed and held for at least sixty seconds and then released, the AP will reboot and be restored to its original factory settings by deleting all configuration information stored on the unit.

Below is the sequence of reset:

Approx 5 seconds -  Blink Green for Meraki Mode

More than 10 seconds - Clear config

More than 20 seconds - Full reset, maintain management mode

More than 30 seconds - Clear FIPS config (Only for Catalyst Mode)

More than 60 seconds - Factory reset

LED Indicators and Run Dark Mode

Your access point is equipped with a multi-color LED light on the front of the unit to convey information about system functionality and performance:

• Orange - AP is booting (permanent Orange suggests hardware issue)
• Rainbow - AP is initializing/scanning
• Blinking Blue - AP is upgrading
• Green - AP in Gateway mode with no clients
• Blue - AP in Gateway mode with clients 
• Blinking Orange - AP can't find uplink 

The CW9176I access point may be operated in the “Run Dark” mode for additional security and to reduce the visibility of the access point. In this mode, the LED will not be illuminated. This mode may be enabled through the Meraki Dashboard.

Configure your Dashboard Network

The following is a brief overview only of the steps required to add an access point to your network. For detailed instructions about creating, configuring and managing Meraki wireless networks, refer to the online documentation (documentation.meraki.com).

1. Login to http://dashboard.meraki.com. If this is your first time, create a new account.
2. Find the network to which you plan to add your APs or create a new network.
3. Add your APs to your network. You will need your Meraki order number (found on your invoice) or the serial number of each AP, which looks like Qxxx-xxxx-xxxx, and is found on the bottom of the unit. You will also need your license key, which you should have received via email.
4. Go to the map / floor plan view and place each AP on the map by clicking and dragging it to the location where you plan to mount it.

Check and Set Firmware

To ensure your access point performs optimally immediately following installation, it is recommended that you facilitate a firmware upgrade prior to mounting your AP.

1. Attach your AP to power and a wired Internet connection. See the "Getting Power to the AP" section for details.
2. The AP will turn on and the LED will glow solid orange. If the unit does not require a firmware upgrade, the LED will turn either green (no clients associated) or blue (clients associated) within thirty seconds.

* If the unit requires an upgrade, the LED will begin blinking blue until the upgrade is complete, at which point the LED will turn solid green or blue. You should allow at least a few minutes for the firmware upgrade to complete, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

Check and Configure Upstream Firewall Settings

If a firewall is in place, it must allow outgoing connections on particular ports to particular IP addresses. The most current list of outbound ports and IP addresses for your particular organization can be found on the firewall configuration page in your dashboard. 

Assigning an IP Address

All gateway APs (An AP with Ethernet connections to the LAN) must be assigned a routable IP address. These IP addresses can be dynamically assigned via DHCP or statically assigned.

Collect Tools

You will need the following tools to perform an installation:

Phillips screwdriver, Hammer (optional), Drill with 0.1360-in. [3.4772 mm] (optional) - depending on install type

Collect Additional Hardware for Installation

You will need the following hardware to perform an installation:

PoE Power Source (either PoE switch or Meraki PoE Injector)  and network cables with RJ45 connectors long enough for your particular mounting location

Choose Your Mounting Location

A good mounting location is important to get the best performance out of your access point. Keep the following in mind:

1. The device should have an unobstructed line of sight to most coverage areas. For example, if installing in an office filled with workspaces divided by mid-height cubicle walls, installing on the ceiling or high on a wall would be ideal.
2. Power over Ethernet supports a maximum cable length of 300 ft (100 m).
3. If being used in a mesh deployment, the AP should have a line of sight to at least two other Meraki devices. A Cisco Partner can help ensure that your AP placement is ideal.

Install the AP

For most mounting scenarios, the access point low profile mounting bracket provides a quick, simple, and flexible means of mounting your device. The installation should be done in two steps. First, install the low profile mounting bracket to your selected location. Then, attach the AP to the low profile mounting bracket.

Attach the Low Profile Mounting Bracket

The access point universal mounting bracket (AIR-AP-BRACKET-1 - included) can be used to install your access point in a wide range of scenarios including wall or solid ceiling or below a drop ceiling.

The mount cradle contains a variety of hole patterns that are customized for each installation scenario. The mounting template (included in box with mount cradle) should be used to drill holes for wall mounts and also to identify the correct hole patterns in the mount cradle that should be used for each type of mount. The included mount cradle template shows the hole patterns that should be used for each type of mount.

Getting Power to the AP

If mounting to an electrical junction box, feed the Ethernet cable through the cable access hole in the mount cradle. If mounting to a wall or ceiling, the Ethernet cable will feed on behind the AP. The "Power Source Options" section of this document lists the different powering options and their unique characteristics. 

To attach the CW9176I AP to the universal mounting bracket properly, align the access point feet over the keyhole mounting slots on the mounting bracket. Since the cradle is already mounted to the wall, gently guide the CW9176I AP toward the mounting cradle until it clicks into place.

Physical Security

Depending on your mounting environment, you may want to secure the AP to its mount location. The access point can be secured in several ways.

Verify Device Functionality and Test Network Coverage

1. Check LEDs

• The Power LED should be solid green (or blue, if clients are connected). If it is flashing blue, the firmware is automatically upgrading and the LED should turn green when the upgrade is completed (normally within a few minutes). See the "LED Indicators" section for more details.

• Note: Your AP must have an active route to the Internet to check and upgrade its firmware.

2. Verify access point connectivity

• Use any 802.11 client device to connect to the AP and verify proper connectivity using the client’s web browser.

3. Check network coverage

• Confirm that you have good signal strength throughout your coverage area. You can use the signal strength meter on a laptop, smartphone, or another wireless device.

Enable 802.11be

To have the Wi-Fi 7 clients connect with 11be rates or do MLO (Multi-Link operation), 802.11be has to be explicitly enabled in the Meraki Dashboard.  

802.11be can be enabled from Wireless > Configure > Radio Settings>RF Profiles

320 MHz Channel Width

Wi-Fi 7 allows channel width of up to 320 MHz for 6 GHz Frequency band.  This higher channel width helps to increase the overall throughput.  In countries with support of 1200 MHz of 6 GHz Frequency spectrum, a total of 3 non-overlapping 320 MHz channels can be achieved, when the AP is operating in Low Power (LPi) Indoor Mode.  When the AP is operating in Standard Power, only one 320 MHz channel can be achieved in the UNII-5 band. In countries with support of 500 MHz of 6 GHz Frequency spectrum, only one 320 MHz channel can be achieved.

Meraki Dashboard allows manual configuration of 320 MHz Channel Width

320 MHz channel width can be enabled from 

Wireless → Configure → Radio Settings → RF Profile → 6 GHz.

Change the Channel width setting to Manual to enable 320 MHz.

Dual 5 GHz Mode 

The CW9176I has three client serving Wi-Fi Radios capable of operating in the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz Frequencies. On the CW9176I the first radio can be configured to operate in the 2.4 Frequency GHz band or 5 GHz Frequency band,

The out-of-the-box setting of the CW9176I will have the radios operate in 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz Frequency band.

The AP can be made to operate in Dual 5 GHz mode by changing the Flex Radio Selection in  RF Profile settings (Wireless → Configure → Radio Settings → RF Profiles)

WPA3 Support

Wi-Fi 7 requires the client to support WPA3 or OWE  with Protected Management Frame (PMF) as a mandatory mode of operation for Wi-Fi 7 -i.e. for 11be rates and MLO. The Wi-Fi 7 Access Point is very much backward compatible with the earlier security mechanisms like WPA2, but when a Wi-Fi 7 client connects with a lower security type, it cannot achieve the Wi-Fi 7 functionality.  

Wi-Fi 7 brings new AKM support for WPA3-SAE and new increased ciphers for Enhanced Open (OWE) and WPA3-SAE. The new AKM is SAE-EXT (AKM 24).  The cipher needed for OWE and WPA3-SAE in Wi-Fi 7 is GCMP256

WPA3-SAE Configuration:

From Wireless → Configure → Access Control → Security

1. Enter the password for WPA3-Personal, 
2. Select WPA3 as the Encryption, 
3. 802.11w as Required.
4. From Advanced WPA3 settings (Cipher and AKM suite settings), select SAE-EXT and GCMP 256.

OWE Configuration:

From Wireless → Configure → Access Control → Security

1. Select Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE)
2. Select WPA3 as the Encryption, 
3. 802.11w as Required.
4. From Advanced WPA3 settings (Cipher and AKM suite settings), select the cipher as GCMP 256.

Basic Troubleshooting

The following steps can be used for troubleshooting basic connectivity issues with your access point.

• Reboot the access point

• Factory reset the access point by holding the factory reset button for 60 seconds

• Try switching cables, or testing your cable on another device

If your access point still does not connect, the following instructions may be useful, depending on your issue.

Check Radio Functionality by Making the AP a Repeater

1. If your AP is acting as a gateway, disconnect the Ethernet cable from the LAN (while keeping the AP powered on). This will switch your AP into repeater mode. If no other gateways are within range, the AP will begin broadcasting an SSID appended with "-scanning". If you are able to connect to this SSID and go to my.meraki.com from your web browser, then your radio is working. 

2. Physically place the repeater AP (AP with disconnected LAN) next to a working gateway AP.

3. Connect the power adapter or PoE. The radio and signal strength LEDs on the AP will turn solid green or blue once the access point boots up and detects the gateway. 

4. The access point is now a repeater and will check into the Dashboard.

5. On the Wireless > Access Points page in the Dashboard, you will see the connectivity bar for the specific Repeater AP reflecting a light green color, which means the AP is a repeater. Gateway APs will reflect a dark green color in the connectivity bar and also will have the letter G (Gateway) on top of the AP symbol. 

Check Ethernet Port Functionality by Connecting to the AP 

1. Disable the Wireless adapter on your computer.

2. Make sure the Ethernet adapter on your device is set to obtain an IP address automatically via DHCP.

3. Connect your computer to the Ethernet port on the AP with an Ethernet cable.

4. The Ethernet LED on the AP should turn solid green or blue.

5. If the Ethernet LED does not turn solid green or blue, try swapping the cable. If the Ethernet port still does not turn green or blue, try the second Ethernet port, if the AP has one.

6. If the Ethernet LED does not turn solid green or blue, you may have a bad port on the AP. If this is the case, the AP signal LEDs will continue to scan.

7. Once the Ethernet LED turns solid green or blue, your computer should obtain an IP address from the AP via DHCP.

Check Static IP Address Configuration 

1. If the AP has a static IP address, the green signal LEDs will begin to flash on and off and you will not receive an IP address via DHCP.  

2. Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the AP. 

3. Associate to the SSID being broadcasted by the AP. If there are no other APs in the network within range the SSID may be appended with "-scanning".

4. Go to my.meraki.com in your web browser. 

5. The MAC address on the back of the access point should match the physical address value on the my.meraki.com Overview page. 

6. Once you have verified that the MAC address is correct on the overview tab, click the tab Static IP configuration.

7. Enter the username  (serial number on the back of the AP) which is case-sensitive and must include the dashes. (There is no password).

8. Make sure your AP is set to obtain a correct DHCP or static IP address configuration from your network.

Reference https://documentation.meraki.com/MR for additional information and troubleshooting tips.

If you are still experiencing hardware issues, please contact Cisco Meraki support by logging in to the Dashboard and using the Help option near the top of the page, then opening an email case or calling using the contact information on that page.

Warranty

Additional warranty information can be found on the CW9176I Datasheet or on the Warranty Returns (RMA) page of the Cisco Product Warranties website.

If your Cisco Meraki device fails and the problem cannot be resolved by troubleshooting, contact support to address the issue. Once support determines that the device is in a failed state, they can process an RMA and send out a replacement device free of charge. In most circumstances, the RMA will include a pre-paid shipping label so the faulty equipment can be returned.

In order to initiate a hardware replacement for non-functioning hardware that is under warranty, you must have access to the original packaging the hardware was shipped in. The original hardware packaging includes device serial number and order information and may be required for return shipping.

Meraki CW9176I devices have been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. 

Support and Additional Information

If issues are encountered with device installation or additional help is required, contact Meraki Support by logging in to dashboard.meraki.com and opening a case by visiting the Get Help section.

• The equipment is intended for industrial or other commercial activities.

• The equipment is used in areas without exposure to harmful and dangerous production factors unless otherwise specified in the operational documentation and/or on the equipment labeling.

• The equipment is not for domestic use. The equipment is intended for operation without the constant presence of maintenance personnel.

• The equipment is subject to installation and maintenance by specialists with the appropriate qualifications, sufficient specialized knowledge, and skills.

• Rules and conditions for the sale of equipment are determined by the terms of contracts concluded by Cisco or authorized Cisco partners with equipment buyers.

• Disposal of a technical device at the end of its service life should be carried out in accordance with the requirements of all state regulations and laws.

• Do not throw in the device with household waste. The technical equipment is subject to storage and disposal in accordance with the organization's disposal procedure.

• The equipment should be stored in its original packaging in a room protected from atmospheric precipitation. The permissible temperature and humidity ranges during storage are specified in the Operation (Installation) Manual.

• Transportation of equipment should be carried out in the original packaging in covered vehicles by any means of transport. The temperature and humidity during transportation must comply with the permissible established ranges of temperature and humidity during storage (in the off state) specified in the Operation Manual (Installation)

For additional information on Meraki hardware and for other installation guides, please refer to documentation.meraki.com.